


these high walls

by tootiredtobetough



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Album: Walls (Louis Tomlinson), Angst, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Post-Break Up, Reunion, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:02:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28786128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tootiredtobetough/pseuds/tootiredtobetough
Summary: when ellis wakes up in louis tomlinson's flat after a night at the pub, her world is turned upside down. post break-up and stranded in london, louis lets her crash with him and their friendship quickly develops- maybe into something more. past feelings and relationships resurface as she helps him finish his debut album, and when one direction finally reunites, everything changes.- or -louis deals with a new relationship, his past feelings for harry, and his solo and band career.
Relationships: Eleanor Calder/Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Louis Tomlinson/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	1. records.

**Author's Note:**

> i don't usually like original character stories, but i had an idea so i'm rolling with it. i hope y'all enjoy this story as much as i already do. also- to be clear i am a total larry- but, i thought it would be cool to try something new. comments, kudos, i hope y'all enjoy.
> 
> all the love,  
> r.

**Chapter 1: records.**

As I started to wake up, I was already regretting last night.

I hadn’t even opened my eyes yet, and a headache was already pounding through my skull. My mouth was dry and sour, and the faint smell of alcohol still lingered. I cracked an eye and the sunlight streaming through the room hit me like a gunshot. I rolled over, hid my face in my pillow and groaned.

I was debating going back to sleep when a realization hit me and I sat straight up, no matter how much my body was protesting.

I looked around the room completely confused. I was in a spacious bedroom with high ceilings. The bed I was currently lying in was huge, piled with blankets and a silky grey comforter. There was a velvety couch across from me. The walls were a soft blue and fairy lights lined the ceilings and corners. Four records hung in a vertical line down the wall. Two doors in front of me stood ajar. Through the left one, I could see a sliver of a modern bathroom. The second door led to a closet seemingly dedicated to sneakers.

I looked down and realized I was just wearing panties and a faded white Adidas shirt that I did not recognize. Shit. Who did I go home with?

I started racking my tired, booze-filled brain for answers. I had stumbled out of his apartment, blinking through my tears and anger. I tripped through the street and basically dove head first into the first pub I passed. And then...black. I couldn’t remember anything past collapsing onto a stool and buying a bottle.

I groaned and pulled myself back into reality. I couldn’t change what happened last night, but I could definitely get the hell out of here. I spotted my plaid skirt laying on the couch and hurried over to get dressed and make a quick exit. Swaying on uneasy legs, I pulled it on and took another look at the room around me.

I noticed the records on the wall were all from members of One Direction. Well, I may have gone home with a stranger, but at least he has good taste. Curiosity got the better of me, and I took a peak in the shoe closet. My jaw dropped. Every color and brand of sneaker you could imagine were stacked neatly on racks. There must’ve been ten pairs of white Reeboks. It took all my self control to not grab a pair or two for my trouble.

I turned back to the room to search for the rest of my outfit. I found my Nikes at the edge of the bed, but my shirt was nowhere in sight.

I ran a hand over my face with a sigh. What was I thinking last night? A break-up isn’t worth wandering the streets of London, ending up in a stranger’s bedroom. I took a deep breath. I just needed to get out of here. Running into my one night stand sober did not sound like something I could handle right now.

I looked over at the bedside table and noticed that he had plugged my phone in to charge and left my wallet sitting next to it. Okay, maybe drunk me doesn’t have terrible taste in men. As nice as he seemed, I just couldn’t deal with this right now, so I grabbed my phone and slipped out of the room, praying I wouldn’t run into him.

As that thought ran through my head, I immediately crashed into someone entering the room as I exited. Fuck. So much for a stealthy exit. What does the universe have against me? The impact sent me spinning and my headache intensified, if that was even possible. I scrunched my eyes up at the pain.

“Oi! You scared me! Didn’t think you’d be up yet to be honest,” the man chuckled at me, reaching his arm out to steady me.

I froze. I knew that voice. I knew that voice, but there was no way. There was no way in fuck that that was who I thought it was. The sneakers, the records, the fairy lights, the voice. It was him; it had to be.

I turned to look and sure enough, Louis Tomlinson was standing in front of me.

His hair was perfectly messy, brown strands falling over his soft blue eyes. He was in a relaxed oversized hoodie, hands hidden by the sleeves. His sweatpants had his signature smiley face embroidered over the pocket and his white socks matched his hoodie. He smiled gently at me, and he looked about as tired as I felt.

What the fuck was I doing in Louis Tomlinson’s flat?

“Um. Hi. Louis Tomlinson?” I managed to sputter out, “I’m Ellis.” He laughed and I felt my face turn a deep shade of red. I must be dreaming.

“Well, Louis would do just fine. And I know your name. You don’t remember anything from last night do you?” he asked me, still chuckling at my embarrassment. I shook my head. He laughed again, smiling widely at me. “Well, let me fill you in. Unless you’re on your way out? Planned on taking me shirt did you?” he accused with a raised eyebrow.

“I did. Planned on taking some sneakers too,” I countered with a grin. Wait why did I just admit to trying to steal from Louis Tomlinson? This must be a fever dream. I’m still drunk. He laughed even harder at that.

“The fuck are sneakers? You’re in London now, we call them trainers. Get on board or get out,” he shook his head at me as he pointed to his closet with a cheeky grin.

“Sass master from Doncaster,” I mumbled and dropped down on the bed behind me as my head continued to ache.

“I always liked that one,” he admitted with a shrug, crossing to sit on the couch in front of me.

I was still in complete shock that not only was I meeting Louis Tomlinson, but I was sitting on his bed. The more I thought about it, the more I thought I was going to pass out. I was talking to my idol. I was in the house of someone I’ve dreamed about meeting for over a decade. This couldn’t be real. The mixture of the shock and hangover started to get to me and the room started to spin. The next thing I knew, I felt the bed dip beside me and felt an arm wrap around me.

“You’re alright love. It’s okay,” he assured me. I focused on his hand on my back and took some deep breaths until life came into view again. He was gazing at me with concern etched into his face, and I could see him relax a bit as I met his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I’m just a little overwhelmed, and hungover, and I can’t believe I’m meeting you right now,” I admitted when I had calmed down a bit.

“Love, no need to be sorry. Sometimes we just need a minute yeah? There’s no need to be worried about meeting me, I’m just a normal lad, promise. And you don’t need to tell me you’re hungover by the way, you stink like the pub,” he joked, grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze. “I’m gonna grab you some water okay? Don’t move.”

As he hopped off the bed and jogged to the kitchen I took in another shaky breath. What was I even doing here? My life went from heartbreaking to unbelievable in 24 hours and I couldn’t remember the majority of that time. My thoughts were cut off when Louis came back in with a bottle of water. I smiled a thanks and took a sip. My body was clearly grateful for anything other than alcohol and I already felt a little better.

“Okay, I think you need to fill me in on what happened last night,” I asked him as he plopped down on the bed next to me again.

He nodded. “Of course. Let’s go from the beginning,” he started. He leaned back on his arm and turned to look at me. “We met at the pub. You’d been drinking a bit when we got there. To say the least,” Louis raised his eyebrows at me and laughed.

I could already feel my face turning red again. I can’t believe I had been wasted for my first meeting with my favorite person on the planet. “To be fair, my boyfriend and I just broke up, and now I’m stranded in London with nowhere to live,” I tried to defend my drunk behavior with a nervous laugh.

Louis rolled his eyes and teased me. “Oh trust me, I’ve heard all about Tyler.”

I groaned and fell back on the bed next to him. As if this day couldn’t get any worse, I must've blabbed all about my break up last night. He pulled my arms down from my face.

“You know for the record, he must’ve been a fucking idiot to cheat on you,” Louis smiled softly at me.

I pulled my hands back up to cover my face. “I can’t believe I told you about that,” my face was burning now; both from my humiliation and from the way he pronounced fuck.

“Oh you didn’t just tell me, you told the entire pub. Maddie? That was her name right?” Louis was clearly enjoying my embarrassment. He pulled my arms down again and took my hand. “Promise it wasn’t too bad. I got you out of there before you could take it too far.”

I looked over at Louis and gave him a half smile. “Guess I’m supposed to thank you for that?” I chuckled. He laughed and shrugged, turning to completely face me.

“So anyways, we met at the pub. Honestly, I thought you looked fit, so I went to talk to you. But when I introduced myself-” Louis trailed off. He dropped his gaze and shook his head with a chuckle.

“What did I say?” I almost didn’t even want to know. Though, as embarrassing as this interaction was, all I had processed was Louis telling me I looked fit. Louis looked at me and tried to hide his smile.

“It isn’t what you said actually, it’s what you sang.”

I looked at him with confusion before putting the pieces together. “No, no, no, I did not start singing at you in the middle of a pub,” I was horrified. I scrunched up my eyes and let my head drop against the bed. The more Louis laughed, the more embarrassed I got. This was officially the worst week of my life.

“You started singing Copy of a Copy of a Copy to me. At full volume. Didn’t sound half bad have to admit,” Louis grinned as he teased me and gave my shoulder a nudge.

I shook my head, smiling back at him with pink cheeks. “I’m so sorry. But also, for the record, you need to release that song.” Louis threw his hands up and shrugged. I threw him a serious look and he winked back.

“Then, when I realized how pissed you were, I asked if you were there alone or if you needed a ride. That’s when you went into the Tyler story. Which, for the record, fuck him. He didn’t deserve you.” I was blushing like crazy now and feeling a bit better about my breakup. “I tried to drop you off at your flat, but you couldn’t seem to remember your address, so I just brought you back here. Hope it’s okay, just couldn’t leave you there like that.”

I sat up and wiped my hands over my face. God, I was stupid last night. “Thank you. It could’ve been bad last night if it weren’t for you.” Louis sat up with me and shrugged again, like taking care of me was no big deal. I finished my bottle of water and Louis led me to the bathroom, suggesting I shower off all of the “pub-shit”.

As soon as I was alone in the bathroom, I let out a silent scream.

Not only did I walk in on my boyfriend with a new girl in bed; not only did I get piss drunk alone in a new city; but I scream-sang at my idol in the middle of a pub.

This was officially one of the craziest days of my life. I stripped off my dirty clothes and wandered to the shower. The shower itself was bigger than the entire master bathroom in my last apartment. It had two rain shower heads and a jet head, and glass walls encased the whole thing. I fiddled with the buttons and levers until hot water came pouring out of each faucet.

I stepped inside and leaned back, letting the water run through my hair and down my back. I immediately began to relax as the memories of last night washed off. The stench of alcohol faded, and the pounding in my head even began to soften. I tried to think through my next steps. I’d have to get a hotel; i’d have to go by his flat and get my stuff. I’d dropped everything and moved my life across the ocean for him, and he still cheated.

I fought back the tears that threatened to spill over and focused on the fact that I was in Louis Tomlinson’s flat right now instead. I wished my friends could see me now. Years of talking about how he was the love of my life, all the clothing and posters and concert tickets, and now here I was, alone with him.

This was somehow the best and worst day of my life at the same time, and I was going to enjoy every minute of it.


	2. e.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter two! i'm liking this story more and more as i keep writing. sorry not sorry for the eleanor shade in this one- you'll learn more about everything i promise. i really hope y'all enjoy this chapter! as always, kudos and comments are appreciated.
> 
> all the love,  
> r.

**Chapter 2: e.**

As I stepped out of the shower, I already felt a little better. My headache had faded a little, and I never thought I’d be so happy to be clean. I grabbed a towel from a large, heated rack next to the shower. He probably wouldn’t mind right?

Pulling the towel tightly around me, I turned to face the long, lighted mirror that stretched over the double sinks. I barely recognized the reflection staring back at me.

I looked completely drained. I could practically see the exhaustion in my face. Heavy bags and dark circles surrounded my eyes which were still red and cloudy, probably from all the crying of the night before.

I let my eyes trail further down my body. My arms held up the towel and my fingers gripped the top lightly. There were bruises scattered randomly down my arms and my knuckles were split on my right hand.

With all the craziness of the past few hours, I didn’t even notice. I let the towel slip and ran my fingers over my cracked knuckles. I let out a hiss as I applied some pressure, testing the bruises.

I looked back up to see a few more bruises littered over my body. There were a few down the parts of my thighs that I could see in the mirror and two deep, large ones- one on my right hip and one across my left rib cage.

What the hell did I get myself into?

Now, clean, awake, and drained of adrenaline, I began to feel the ache of whatever happened last night through my body. My ribs in particular held a sharp pain when I breathed in too deeply.

I shook my head, trying to knock some memories loose, but was met with the same dark fuzziness that I woke up with. Maybe Louis had more answers.

I finished drying off and ran my fingers through my hair. As I went through the motion, I realized a few of my rings were missing.

Was I mugged? That would explain the bruises. Or maybe I just got drunk and took a fall? But then why were my knuckles bruised like I hit someone?

I folded my towel and placed it on the counter, ready to go quiz Louis for more information. I looked around and immediately felt a little dumb- I didn’t have any clothes to change into. I must’ve forgotten to grab something in my complete shock this morning.

I sighed and walked towards the door to yell out to Louis. It’s not like I could really be any more embarrassed than I already was around him. When you start off meeting someone by singing at them, nothing can really get worse.

I cracked the door and took a breath to yell before my eyes fell to the stack of clothes Louis had clearly laid outside the door. Well, at least one of us had their head on straight. I pulled the stack of clothes into the bathroom with me, shutting the door behind me.

He left me a soft black t-shirt with a faded umbro logo printed across the front. Under the shirt was a pair of dark grey joggers. I pulled the shirt on over my head. I crossed my arms over my chest and groaned. I prayed my bra was somewhere in this flat because this was just embarrassing. At least it was a little less noticeable in a dark shirt.

I then pulled on the joggers. They were too big for me, and I cinched the waist with the drawstrings to keep them on my hips. I even had to roll the cuffs at the bottom once to shorten them a bit.

I smiled a bit to myself knowing that seeing the cuffs would make Louis feel a little taller.

I pulled my wet hair back into a ponytail before realizing that I didn’t even have a hair tie. I let it drop on my back, soaking into the material, with a long sigh and eye roll. I was such a wreck.

Gathering up my dirty clothes, I took another look around the bathroom to make sure I had everything before heading out the door. The cooler air of his bedroom hit me like a wave, calming the redness in my flustered cheeks.

I dropped my clothes on the bed next to my wallet and keys and wandered out of his room and down the hallway in search of Louis. His bedroom seemed to be at the end of the hallway.

A little further down and on the other side of the hall was a room with an open door. I peeked my head into what looked like an office. There was a desk in the center back and a couch shoved up against the side. Fairy lights lined this room too and a few guitars hung on the wall. There was even a keyboard in the corner.

I continued down the hall and ducked into the last room on this stretch. This was just a simple guest room with a bed, couch, and a bathroom through another door.

He seemed to have fairy lights strung all around the edges of all of the ceilings and walls in his apartment. It was so cute.

As I exited the hallway, I found myself in a big den area. There were sectionals lining one half of the large room with big pillows and blankets piled up on and around them. It was very cozy.

The other half of the room had a bar in the corner. The wall behind it had floating shelves lined with bottles. There was also a pool table with green patterned felt placed next to the bar. A record player sat in the opposite corner. The walls were decorated with guitars, records, and lights. Different colored cues stacked up the wall behind the pool table.

It was the perfect place to hangout with friends, drink, and listen to music. The space felt very Louis. I chuckled to myself as that thought ran through my mind. I still couldn’t even believe I was standing in his flat.

I left the room and trailed down the short hallway that opened up to a large open concept living room kitchen area. I glanced around the space, taking in the couches, piano, and huge TV screen. As I turned to scout the other half of the space, my eyes fell on Louis.

He was slumped over, elbows on the counter, and head in his hands. He looked tired and sad, and I suddenly felt like I was intruding. Before I could turn to leave though, his head tilted up and his eyes met mine. As he realized I was there, he stood up straight and waved me over.

I gave him a small smile and stepped across the hardwood to reach him. Timidly, I slid onto one of the stools sitting next to the island. I glanced around the kitchen, taking in the sleek white cabinets and grey marble countertops. The kitchen was a lot brighter than the rest of his usually furnished-black apartment.

I turned back to Louis who had been watching me take in the kitchen with a soft smile. I smiled back, blushing a little.

“I like your place,” I tell him then, settling back into my seat. His smile gets a little bigger.

“Thanks. Took a while, but it finally feels like home, ya know what I mean,” he nodded back, eyes scanning the room around him.

“I love the fairy lights,” I tell him. They really lined every room. He chuckled.

“Do you?” he chuckled the question out. I nodded, sliding my elbows onto the counter in front of me. I dropped my chin to my hands and tilted my head to look at him. I still wasn’t totally convinced that this was real life.

“Can you stop staring at me? Fucking weird,” he laughed, smirking at my embarrassment.

My cheeks turned red before he even finished the sentence. “I’m sorry, I’m just still in shock,” I admit, turning my eyes down to the counter. He laughs at me again.

“I’ve never understood why you lot freak out when you meet me,” he told me, running his hand through his messy hair with a look on his face somewhere between a sad smile and a smirk. My eyebrows knitted together as I looked back up at him. What did that mean?

Before I could get a question out, the front door banged open. It was over to our left, in between the kitchen and dining area. Both of our heads snapped to the sound and I sat up straighter as I waited to see who his guest was.

Before I knew it, Eleanor was strolling through the door holding two coffees.

She kicked the door closed behind her and turned towards the kitchen with a big smile. Her eyes landed on me and her smile faltered as she looked at Louis and then back to me. I heard Louis breath out a long sigh.

“Hi. Didn’t realize we had visitors,” Eleanor recovered quickly, plastering the smile back on her face, words dripping with sarcasm.

“ _We_ don’t have anything. This is _my_ fucking house,” Louis snapped back at her, crossing away from her and leaning into the corner of the counter on the other side of the kitchen. I drew in a sharp breath, feeling immediately awkward.

Eleanor rolled her eyes and walked deeper into the kitchen coming to a stop right in front of me. I gave her a weak smile as she sat the coffees down and turned to look at Louis.

“Can you stop that?” she complained, shooting daggers at him. He turned, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Can you stop coming over here like you’re my fucking girlfriend?” He matched her tone.

She slapped her hands on the counter in front of her. “I am your fucking girlfriend.”

I jumped at the impact and widened my eyes. Louis barely even seemed phased. The silence between them was incredibly tense and strained as they stared at each other, daring the other to back down.

As much as I didn’t want to speak, I knew I had to remove myself from this situation. This was none of my business.

“Um,” I barely cleared my throat, and they both turned to look at me, “I’m sorry to intrude, I’m just going to-” I started to get up and head back to the bedroom to give them some privacy, but Louis cut me off.

“Do not fucking apologize. You’re not the one intruding,” his eyes stayed on Eleanor as he spat out the last sentence. I froze halfway out of my seat, really unsure of my next move.

Eleanor scoffed. “You know, I think your little one-night whore is right,” she fired back. She then turned to stare me down, raising her eyebrows in challenge as she made hard eye contact with me, “You should go.”

I narrowed my eyes and stared back at her in shock. Did this bitch just call me a whore? I sat back into my seat, making it clear I wasn’t going anywhere, and opened my mouth to slap her back. Before I could even get the words out, Louis cut through the silence.

“You did not just fucking say that to her,” his voice was raised and he seemed like he’d crossed the line from annoyed to angry. He stood up straighter and placed himself in front of Eleanor, breaking our eye contact.

“You did not just come into my house and call my guest a whore,” he was nearly yelling now. I cringed a bit at the volume, but hearing him shut her down and defend me put a small smirk on my face.

She looked a little shaken, like she didn’t expect him to take my side, but as soon as she noticed my smirk, her face hardened again.

“I’m not the one picking up a new girl at the pub every night when you’re supposed to be dating me,” Eleanor turned her head to Louis.

“Oh really? So you’re not fucking Max?” he threw out a sarcastic question and cocked his head. Her cheeks turned red.

“Just get the fuck out,” Louis pointed to the door. She rolled her eyes and stared at both of us.

“Enjoy your morning fuck, but don’t get comfortable sweetheart, he’s probably already forgotten your name,” she spit, words dripping with bitterness. She turned on her heel and stomped out, slamming the door behind her.

Louis immediately slammed his open palm into the cabinet behind him and slumped into the corner, against the counter. I jumped at the sound. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair, with a loud, heavy sigh.

“Fuck,” he muttered, dropping his head back against the cabinets behind him. He closed his eyes and stayed there for a moment, before taking in a deep breath and pushing his hands through his hair again. He opened his eyes and turned his head in my direction.

I gave him a small smile back. I felt awkward and very unsure of what I should say after witnessing a personal moment like that. I decided to let him take the lead.

“The shirt looks good on you,” he said softly, eyes dropping to the umbro logo and scanning back up to my face. I felt my cheeks turn pink and I smiled back at him.

“Thanks. Sorry, all of my clothes are still at Tyler’s,” I really do feel bad for being such a burden.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he muttered, just loudly enough that I heard it through the silent kitchen.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve left as soon as she walked in. I didn’t mean to intrude,” I stumble over my words, still very embarrassed. He immediately started shaking his head as I began to apologize. He took a few steps towards me, crossing the kitchen to stop on the other side of the island.

“I already told you, don’t fucking apologize. It’s her fault,” he stressed each word.

I nodded, “I know, I just felt like I shouldn’t have been here for that.”

“It’s the other way around. I brought you here, I invited you. No one invited her; I don’t even know how the fuck she still has a key,” he was getting frustrated again. I slowly reached out and laid my hand over his. His head snapped to mine and gave me a little smile.

He turned his head and furrowed his brows, “You honestly don’t seem all that surprised,” he said with a breathy laugh.

I chuckled. “Honestly Louis? No one really believes that y’all are together,” I couldn't help but laugh as I told him the truth. He let out a bigger laugh and gave my hand a squeeze.

“Good. I can always count on the fans to notice every hint I drop,” he laughed while admitting it.

“Oh trust me, we notice everything. Sometimes I wonder if you actually mean to leave the hints or if we just over analyze everything.”

He shrugs, “I won’t ruin the mystery for you, but trust me, most of the time it’s real. We got good at leaving hints for the fans while we were in the band. We never really had control over our lives, but we still wanted you guys to know the truth.”

His confession sombers the mood a bit. I nod at him seriously, and he gives my hand another squeeze before dropping it and strolling out of the room.

I don’t even bother trying to see where he went, instead I just drop my head into my hands. These past two days have been too much to handle. Between my break-up and my hangover, my head was too full to try to decipher the Eleanor situation right now too.

It did give me a little happiness to know that we were right about her though.

Louis broke my train of thought as he came back into the room. He flopped onto one of the couches behind me with a glass of brown liquid in his hand. It was still late morning, but after that exchange, I couldn’t blame him for drinking already. I needed one too.

I pushed myself off the stool and wandered into the living room to join him. I watched his blue eyes drag up and down my body slowly. His lips curled into a small smirk as he saw my cuffed pants, and his eyes came back to my face. A few seconds of him checking me out, and I could already barely breath. He had quite the effect on me.

He tilted his glass back and took a sip of his liquid. I knew it probably burned, but he swallowed it like might as well have been water.

“Come here,” he smirked at me, jerking his head in the direction of the other side of his couch, “You’re freaking me out, just standing there.”

I rolled my eyes at him, but plopped down next to him all the same. I pulled my knees up to my chest and looked at him.

“Thank you again for last night. I hate to keep being a burden, but is there anyway I could get a ride to Tyler’s today? I have no idea where I am in the city, and all my stuff is there,” I asked him.

“Yeah I’ll get you a car, no problem. You ready to see him?” Louis questioned, finishing his drink. He set his glass down on the side table next to him and glanced at me.

I huffed out a sad laugh. “No, but literally everything I own is there and I need to get my clothes and passport before I check into a hotel and figure everything out,” I explained to him. He turned to look at me with a puzzled look on his face.

“Hotel?” he asked.

“Yeah, I moved from America to live with him. I don’t have a place of my own. I was supposed to move in today, but I decided to surprise him yesterday. Clearly I did because he was in bed with Maddie,” I tried to keep my tone light, but my words were bitter.

“So you’re just moving into a hotel? Can you even afford that?” Louis clearly didn’t believe in my plan.

“No. I’ll have to go back home. I already sold my apartment in DC, so I guess I’ll move back in with my mom until I get my head on straight.”

Louis shook his head at me as I explained my next steps. “So you moved across an ocean for this man, and he cheated on you. And now you’re stranded in London. Fuck, if I meet this guy, I swear I will kill him,” Louis said it casually, but I got the weird feeling that he actually would.

“You can stay here,” Louis suggested.

I put my hands up and shook my head. “Nope. No way, you’ve done enough for me.”

“You’re staying here. Stop resisting,” he joked with me, “I’m in London for a while, and it’ll be nice to have some company. My guest rooms are open. You can’t just let this boy ruin your life. Running back to your mom’s makes it seem like he won. Stay here.”

I sat back against the arm of the couch. I thought through my patchy memories of last night. I thought about how excited I was to have this amazing adventure of moving to London. And I thought about Louis. My idol, my dream, my favorite person I’d never met. Now he was sitting here, asking me to stay.

My tendency for reckless behavior took over, and before I could doubt myself, I answered.

“Yes.”


	3. tyler's.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter three! i love this story. it is so fun to write, and i hope y'all enjoy this chapter. thanks for the kudos and comments :) can't wait to see where this story goes from here! happy reading xx
> 
> all the love,  
> r.

**Chapter 3: tyler’s**

  
  


I slid into the backseat next to Louis. He flashed a smile at me as I buckled up. He was still giddy, I could tell. When I agreed to move in, he celebrated with a huge first bump and wrapped me up in a big hug.

I didn’t know what exactly was going on with him, but I could tell he was relieved that he wouldn’t be alone for the next few weeks. Weeks? Months? We hadn’t really even talked about the details, but at least I knew I had a home for the next little bit.

We hung out for the rest of the morning and ate breakfast. After a few hours of trying to avoid it, Louis finally brought up Tyler. He agreed to come with me to make it a little easier. He called his driver and before I knew it, we were headed to Tyler’s flat. 

I glanced over at Louis. He was still in his oversized white Adidas hoodie and brand joggers. He had shoved his feet into old, dirty Reeboks as we walked out and the faded white clashed a little with his clean, bright hoodie. He was looking out the window with his arm sprawled over the backseat. I couldn’t help but admire him. His hair, his eyes, his cheekbones- he’d always taken my breath away, but seeing him casual like this took it to a new level. I kept having to pinch myself, but this was real, not a dream.

I noticed that his jaw was set and tightened as if his teeth were clenched. His other hand was balled in a fist in his lap. Whatever he was thinking about was clearly bothering him. I reached over and nudged his shoulder. He snapped his head in my direction, and I watched his body relax a little.

“You okay?” I questioned his tense behavior. He nodded.

“Yeah, yeah I’m good,” he shot me a soft smile back but offered no explanation.

I shrugged and settled back into my seat, watching the streets go by through the window. All too quickly, we turned and began to slow down. We stopped in front of a building that I unfortunately recognized, and I heard the car doors unlock.

I took a deep, shaky breath. My palms were already sweating at the thought of having to see him. I felt pressure on my thigh and looked down to see Louis' hand giving it a light squeeze. I met his eyes, and he gave me a quick nod and hopped out of the car. He came around to my side and opened my door. I took another breath and slid out to join him on the sidewalk.

“Do you want me to come up or wait here?” he asked, staring up at the building in front of us.

“I’ll be fine,” I nodded and headed to the front door. As my hands met the door handle, I hesitated. I didn’t want to seem weak, but I also didn’t want to do this alone. What if Maddie was up there? Before I could even turn around, I felt Louis’ hand on my back, pushing me forward. I smiled to myself and stepped through the door.

As we stepped into the elevator, I noticed that Louis seemed tense again.

“Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?” I asked him, trying to take my mind off of the shit that waited for me. He looked at me almost amused.

“Tense much?” he chuckled, rolling his eyes and ignoring my question.

“Says the man who looks like he could punch a hole in a wall right now.”

“A wall? I was more thinking your boyfriend,” he raised his eyebrows at me. I shook my head at him.

“Please don’t hit Tyler,” I was mostly joking, but I stressed my words all the same. Louis seemed weirdly bothered by the whole situation. Between this and the death threat from earlier, I was beginning to think the whole “bad boy” image may have quite a bit of truth to it.

“No promises,” he winked at me as the elevator dinged and he stepped out. I followed him out, shaking my head at him. He was joking right?

We stood in front of the door, side by side. I tried to calm my breathing. The last time I went through this door, my whole life came crashing down. I wished I could just avoid him forever. I closed my eyes and wiped my sweaty hands on my joggers. I could do this. As I took my hand out of my pocket to knock, Louis’ hand shot up and rapped on the door loudly.

“Honestly you were taking fucking forever,” he explained as I turned my head to him with a confused look on my face. Before I could snap back, the door swung open.

There he was, standing in front of me. The boy that broke my heart. The door was half open as he froze when he saw me. He looked exhausted. He was in a pair of loose, torn jeans and the hoodie that I bought him for his birthday a few years back. His green eyes were red-rimmed and his blonde hair was a mess. It didn’t look like he had slept.

“Ellis…” he trailed off, sadly. I bit my lip hard and tried to swallow the lump in my throat.

“Hi,” I manage to whisper. I glanced up to look at him again. His eyes were filled with tears, just like mine. He glanced at Louis beside me like it was the first time he noticed him. His eyebrows knitted together and he looked back at me with a hurt expression on his face.

“And who’s this?” He almost spat out.

“Louis Tomlinson. We’re here for her stuff,” Louis pushed past him and into the apartment with barely a second glance. I stood frozen in the hallway. Tyler was still staring at me with wide eyes.

“Moved on that fast?” He was angry. He tried to hide it, but I could hear the tone of his voice change. I had heard that shift so many times before.

“Are you fucking serious right now?” My jaw dropped at his accusation. He did not just say that to me when he’s literally the one who cheated. I followed after Louis, knocking my shoulder against Tyler’s as I passed.

I came to a stop in the living room. Louis glanced at me from his place leaned against the wall. He gave me a small nod and took a deep breath. I copied him, trying to calm down a bit. I heard the door close and turned to see Tyler coming towards us.

“Can we talk?” He came to a stop in between Louis and I and pleaded with me. I hesitated. As much as I wanted to leave and never look back, I needed answers. I nodded. A look of relief washed over his face before it hardened again as he turned to look at Louis.

“Some privacy would be nice,” he was clearly uncomfortable with Louis’ presence. Louis smirked and pushed himself off the wall. He stepped up to Tyler. Tyler was inches taller, but Louis was intimidating all the same. His face hardened as Tyler took a step back, trying to regain some space and confidence.

Louis’ eyes flicked over to me and I rolled my eyes at him. He was clearly enjoying the effect he had on Tyler. He smirked at my reaction and pushed Tyler’s shoulder a little before wandering further into the apartment to give us some privacy.

“Seriously? You’re with that dick head?” He turned on me with a frustrated sigh, “Where do I know him from? He looks familiar.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Intimidated much?”

Tyler scoffed. “You kidding me? Of course not. I just don’t get where you found that guy.”

“Google him.”

He looked at me in question as I sat back on the couch. I raised my eyebrows, challenging him. He fished his phone out of his pocket.

“What was his name again?” He asked me, pretending to be unbothered. I rolled my eyes.

“You remember.”

He squints at me, but types the name in all the same. I watched as his unimpressed facial expression quickly turned into shock. His eyebrows raised a bit and his mouth fell open. He turned his phone so I could see the screen.

“He was in One Direction?” He was clearly taken aback. I nodded with a proud smirk. He scrolled for a bit longer. Finally, he shook his head clear and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He sat down next to me, reaching for my hand. I pulled my hand out of his grip and back into my lap and turned to look at him.

“So? You wanted to talk?” I finally broke the tense silence between us. As soon as I spoke, tears filled his eyes again.

“I’m so sorry Ellis,” he started with a whimper. My throat started to close up. Tears pricked the corner of my eyes, but I tried to blink them back. He didn’t deserve my tears.

“I don’t know what I was thinking. I just missed you, and I was lonely. I made a stupid decision, and I’ll always regret hurting you. But, one stupid mistake shouldn’t ruin us. I mean you moved here for me. Now you’re just going to leave? Don’t give up on your whole plan. Don’t give up on us,” he took my hand again. He begged me to stay, but I didn’t believe his apology for a minute.

“Please stop. Stop pretending to care and stop fake apologizing. You’re not sorry you did it. You’re just sorry you got caught. How long have you been fucking her?” Sadness was overwhelming me, but the more he spoke, the more those feelings morphed into anger.

He pulled his hand away and turned to face the wall before answering me. “I don’t know. A few months?”

My chest tightened at his answer. “Months?” I barely managed to whisper.

I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye. 

“So when I came to visit for Christmas two months ago-” I trailed off. I couldn’t believe it.

“Yeah, we were seeing each other then,” he admitted quietly. Fuck man. Could this get any worse?

“Fuck you Tyler. I gave up my entire life for you. I liked DC. I liked my job. But I gave it all up to move here for you. And now it turns out I should’ve never trusted you. Fuck you. Five years of my life. Five fucking years. I loved you. I trusted you,” my body was radiating rage as I spit out every word I needed him to hear.

He reached out for me. He was crying and begging me to stay, but I threw his hand off my arm and stomped into the bedroom. Louis was standing at the door, clearly listening to every word we were saying. He pulled me into a hug. His arms tightly squeezed me, and I let my head fall into his neck.

“You start getting your stuff together okay? Tyler and I are going to have a little chat,” he mumbled into my ear. I pulled back and shook my head.

“A chat Louis. Not a fight,” I warned, but let him go all the same. He winked at me again and left.

I turned back to the room and started pulling my bags together. Luckily I hadn’t had the chance to unpack as I was busy watching my boyfriend fuck another girl. I pulled my backpack on and threw my duffel bag on my shoulder. This was it. Everything I owned now fit into two bags. I glanced around the room, making sure I had everything.

Sitting on the bedside table, I noticed the dog tag necklace I’d given him. I’d had it since I was a kid, a gift from my grandad. I used to wear it everyday- 24/7. He loved it, and one day I decided he was a part of the family enough to wear it. He was so proud.

The thought made me lose my breath. I really was convinced I’d marry him one day. I snatched the chain and pulled it over my head. No way was I letting him keep this. As I turned back to the door, I heard a loud bang.

I ran into the hallway and back to the living room to see what was wrong. My eyes widened at the scene in front of me.

Louis was standing over top of Tyler. Tyler was holding his face and groaning.

“Louis what the fuck did I just say?” I knew I should be angrier, but it felt good knowing that Tyler had finally gotten what was coming to him.

“He cheated on you. What was I supposed to do?” he reasoned, throwing his hands up innocently.

“Get your fucking psycho boyfriend out of here, Ellis. This is why I fucking cheated on you, you’re fucking crazy,” Tyler scooted backwards, trying to get away from Louis. He was still holding his face. His nose was dripping blood onto his shirt, and his eyes were wild.

Louis took another step towards him at his words, but I beat him to it. Without thinking, I threw my fist forward and connected with his nose again. He let out a yell and hid his face in his hands.

“I’m the crazy one? You and Maddie deserve each other,” I took one last look at the man I used to love, and stormed out of the door. Louis followed behind me quickly.

“Holy shit that was hot. You just punched him in the face. I can’t believe that,” he let out a whistle and a smile grew across his face. I turned and flashed him a smirk.

“I probably shouldn’t have done that. I’m just so angry,” I tried to explain myself. He just threw an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into the elevator.

“You don’t have to explain yourself. He totally deserved it,” he smiled. A comfortable silence settled over us as we rode back to the lobby. We stepped outside into the brisk London weather. Louis’ car was already waiting for us. Louis opened the back door for me dramatically.

“Did you really think that was hot?” I tease with a smirk as I slid into the seat. He smirked right back at me.

“Very.”

My cheeks turned pink as he slammed the door shut and ran around to the other side to join me.

I knew I should be sad. I walked in on my boyfriend of five years fucking another girl. I moved across an ocean for a man who never even cared about me. I knew I should be crying into a bowl of ice cream watching sad romance movies and scrolling through old memories of us.

But in that moment, I just felt alive. I just punched my jackass ex in the face, and it felt so good. I was in a city I’d always dreamed about. I had the chance to completely start clean and live my life the way I wanted to. And best of all, I was in a car with my new roommate- my decade long celebrity crush. Louis had already done so much for me, and now he was letting me stay with him. So no, I wasn’t going to wallow in self-pity. I was going to take advantage of this clean start, and I was sure as hell going to enjoy every second I got to spend with Louis.


	4. trio.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter four! sorry this update has taken a while. my other story has a lot more views so i've been trying to give it more attention (if you're a larrie, go check it out!), but i just love writing this one so much. it super fun to put my own spin on the boys and i really hope you enjoy this chapter! xx
> 
> all the love,  
> r.

**Chapter 4: trio**

  
  


We’d been back at Louis’ for a few hours, and I had finally finished unpacking my stuff in the guest room on Louis’ hallway.

The room was a good size, with simple modern furniture. The bed was huge, the couch was comfy, and the bathroom was gorgeous- so I couldn’t really complain. The fairy lights were a nice touch, but the walls were bare. It felt more like a hotel room than a home. Maybe Louis would let me hang some posters or pictures, depending on how long I ended up here.

After filling up the dresser, closet, and bathroom vanity with my stuff, I was exhausted. My whole body still ached from my questionable night before. Hitting Tyler had been so satisfying, but it had also split open my already bruised knuckles.

I laid down on the bed for a second to catch my thoughts. I knew I should head to the kitchen to get ice for my hand or find Louis and ask him about last night, but instead, as soon as my head hit the pillow, I drifted to sleep.

I woke up to Louis shaking my shoulder roughly.

“Oi wake up,” he pulled me up to a sitting position by my hands. I flinched as he accidentally put pressure on my bruised hand.

“Ouch, fuck,” I yelped and yanked my hand out of his. He looked at me with confusion and amusement before it morphed to seriousness as he saw my hand.

“Shit is that from Tyler? Damn you got him good,” he inspected my hand with an impressed chuckle. “You need ice.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Promise, I’m good.” He shook his head and pulled me to my feet by my good hand.

“Nope trust me,” Louis led me from the room.

“Trust you? Have a lot of experience with busted knuckles?” I teased him as we walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. He turned to look at me and winked. I really didn’t know this guy’s story did I?

I took a seat at the island as Louis rustled through the freezer. He tossed me an ice pack, and I laid it across my knuckles. I winced as it made contact, but the numbing feeling that spread through my hand was satisfying.

“Better?” Louis raised his eyebrows with a cocky smirk. I rolled my eyes at him but still nodded.

“Hey, um, do you know what happened last night?” I asked, turning my head to look at him. He let out a laugh.

“Before or after your pub concert?” He teased me, crossing the room to drop onto one of the couches. I dropped my head to the counter and groaned.

“Stop bringing it up, it's so embarrassing,” the cold counter cooled my reddening face. I still couldn’t believe that’s how I met him.

“I can’t help it. You know, I might have to release Copy of a Copy of a Copy, just for you,” I could hear his smirk before I even swiveled around in my chair to face him.

“Don’t even tease me. We need a studio version!” I couldn’t help but try to push him towards it. I slid off the stool to my feet and wandered into the living area. I took a seat on the couch adjacent to his and readjusted the ice pack against my hand.

“Maybe, one day…” he shrugged with a smile, “But what do you mean about last night?”

I hesitated before standing up and pulling my shirt up a bit to show the deep bruise across my side. His eyes widened as he jumped to his feet. I watched his eyes scan my side, dart down to my hip, and then run down my bruised arms.

“Fuck,” he breathed out. I nodded with a shrug and let my shirt fall.

“Yeah, any idea what that’s from?” I tried to brush by it, but Louis still seemed a concerned as he settled back into his seat.

“No, no I don’t know what that’s from,” Louis shook his head. “Are you okay? Why didn’t you bring it up earlier?”

I shrugged again. “I don’t know. I just got distracted by Eleanor and then Tyler,” I tried to explain myself because he honestly seemed a little pissed that I’d kept it from him. I watched him physically flinch at Eleanor’s name and then crack his knuckles at Tyler’s.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but he was interrupted by his phone ringing. He glanced down to the screen with a sigh.

“Let me take a look later, make sure everything’s okay,” he stared at me seriously for a second before sliding his thumb across the screen.

“Louissss! You ready for tonight mate?” An Irish voice that I’d recognize anywhere rang out through the room.

“Is that Niall???” I couldn’t help but blurt out. Louis nodded with a short chuckle.

“Can’t wait to see you mate!” Another man spoke up, and I almost fell off the couch.

“And Liam?? They’re calling you right now?” I was stuttering out my shock. It’s so good to see that they’re still all close. Louis shushed me with a laugh.

“Good to see you lads,” Louis grinned down at the Facetime in front of him.

I felt like my heart was melting. Three of the five members of One Direction were on the phone with each other right now. And I was sitting in Louis Tomlinson’s living room listening to the call.

This must be a dream, it seriously must be a different reality. I couldn’t keep my smile down as I beamed over at the man in front of me. He looked at me with a confused expression, and I just shrugged and hid my face in my hand.

“A lot of good people are making it out tonight. I can’t wait man, I’ve been needing a night like this,” Liam was gushing over whatever plans they had for later.

“Let’s get drunkkkk!” Niall hollered through the phone, causing Louis to collapse in giggles.

“You’re so fucking stupid,” Louis laughed, “But, I’m sorry lads, I don’t think tonight is gonna happen.”

Louis grimaced as both boys started yelling through the phone at his statement.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Niall’s voice somehow got even louder.

“Why? Mate, why?” Liam snapped, sounding pissed.

“Well, it’s a long story, but basically, someone is staying with me right now and she doesn’t need to deal with you two and a crazy fucking party,” Louis chose his words carefully. He clearly felt bad letting his friends down.

Wait, he’s talking about me. I waved my hands to get his attention. He snapped his head in my direction as I tried to motion that he didn’t have to cancel because of me.

“She?” Liam caught that detail.

“Eleanor? Come on just change the locks already,” Niall groaned. I bit back a laugh at his comment- he really wasn’t wrong though.

“Not fucking Eleanor. Come on, you know me better than that,” Louis rolled his eyes with a scoff.

“Then who’s this mystery lady?” Liam was teasing him, but there was a tone of seriousness.

“You can meet me tonight at the party because there’s no way I’m letting Louis cancel!” I yelled over to the phone before I could stop myself. Louis looked at me with wide eyes as cheers rang through the phone.

“Yay for mystery girl! We’ll be over in a few hours Lou! Byeee love youuuu,” Niall was practically singing with happiness as he hung up.

Louis tossed his phone to the couch next to him and ran his fingers through his hair. He let out a sigh and turned to look at me. A small smile tugged the corner of his mouth as he stared at me.

“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into,” he finally spoke up, shaking his head.

“You don’t have to put your life on hold just because I’m here,” I wanted to really stress to him that I was not his responsibility.

“Parties like this… they’re a lot to handle. Are you sure?” He asked again. I almost laughed at his weird warning, but his serious expression made me hesitate.

“Yeah? You were nice enough to let me crash here, I’m not going to cause any more problems. I’m not your burden, okay?” I knew he was trying to be nice, but him cancelling the party for me just made me feel like I was a problem.

“You’re not a burden. I asked you to stay here remember? But just be warned- Niall and Liam are insane. Like clinically insane.”

I giggled at his comment. “I’m so excited to meet them,” I could already feel myself blushing. He rolled his eyes and shook his head at me.

“I thought I was your favorite? What’s with the fangirling over those two?” He faked offense. I ignored his comment and beamed back at him.

“I can’t wait. Oh my God, I’m going to meet them!” I was rambling like a crazy person, but I couldn’t help it, I was pumped. I flashed another grin at Louis before heading back to the kitchen to put my melting ice pack back.

The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur. Louis said he needed to make a few calls, and before I knew it, sound systems and kegs were arriving at his flat. I raised my eyebrows at him in a silent question and he responded with a cheeky grin as he directed people around to set up.

I tried to stay out of the way and ended up heading back to my room and collapsing on the bed. I flopped down and immediately let out a sharp breath as I landed directly on my bruised ribs. I groaned out an ow and rolled slowly to my back. How many times was I going to do that?

I knew I needed to figure out what happened to me, and Louis having no idea honestly made me a little concerned. Clearly it must’ve happened sometime between leaving Tyler’s and running into Louis at the pub. Maybe it was something as simple as a fall, but my gut told me something bad happened, and it was scaring me.

I laid in bed, wracking my brain for more details before finally huffing out a breath and sliding to my feet. I just needed to keep pushing Tyler and the events of last night out of my head. This party was a perfect distraction.

I crossed over to the dresser and rifled through my stack of clothes. What do you wear to a party with One Direction? Suddenly nothing in my closet seemed good enough.

I saw Louis shuffling by and ducked my head out of the door to yell at him before he got to his room.

“Hey!” I spoke up to get his attention and he swiveled around to me with a smile on his face.

“What’s up?” He cocked his head at me. “Where’d you disappear off to?”

I shrugged and smiled back. I couldn’t help it, it was impossible not to smile around him.

“Sorry, I just thought I should get out of everyone’s way. Quick question though, what’s the dress code for tonight? Like I have no idea what to wear,” I mumbled out my question quickly, waiting for his teasing laugh.

“Dress code? It’s not a business dinner,” he let out a chuckle and shoved his hands in his pockets, strolling down the hallway towards me. He pushed past me with a wink and came to a stop in front of my dresser.

“Okay, let’s see what we’re working with,” he cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck dramatically before opening the drawers in front of him. I rolled my eyes at his theatrics and sat down on the edge of the bed.

He dug through the drawer in front of him. He picked up one top and immediately threw it over his shoulder. He repeated the action with a few more pieces of clothing.

“Hey!” I protested, dodging the flying clothes.

“You wanted my help,” he shrugged and continued digging. I rolled my eyes and flipped off his back before flopping down to my side. I let out a hiss. I had to stop forgetting about these bruises. Louis whirled around at my whimper.

“Sorry. Just my ribs. And hip. And hand,” I chuckled at my broken body. He smiled at me, but his eyebrows dropped into concern. “Just find me an outfit.” I tried to brush by it.

He shook his head at me, but he turned back to the dresser anyways. After a few more minutes, he finally declared an “Aha!” and started throwing clothes over his shoulder at me, more purposefully this time. I laughed as I tried to catch the outfit.

Louis wiggled his eyebrows at me. “I’m going to go get dressed, when I get back I expect a fashion show,” he joked pointing towards the clothes he picked out before spinning out into the hallway.

I shut the door behind him and gathered up the clothes he threw at me. I pulled off the baggy joggers Louis had given me and shimmied myself into the ripped black skinny jeans he set on my bed. I let out a breath when I finally pulled them up and then pulled Louis’ shirt over my head.

I folded the sweatpants and shirt into a neat stack and laid them on top of the dresser. I’d have to remember to give them back. I reached out for the next piece of clothing. Louis had picked out a lacy black bralette and a light grey plaid flannel to wear over it.

I stepped into the bathroom to take a look in the mirror. My eyes widened at the reflection staring back at me. Damn, I looked good.

The jeans hugged my legs perfectly. They were a tight fit, but they were my favorites because they made me look like I actually had an ass. My alcohol-only diet lately had paid off, and for once I actually liked how my body looked. The bralette was striking against my pale skin and fit just right. The flannel was a nice touch. It fit loosely on my shoulders and turned the slutty outfit into… well, just a little less slutty.

I smirked at myself and did a little twirl. Last night I was sobbing in a public pub after falling down the stairs? Getting in a bar fight? Getting run over? Who knows. But now, now I was getting ready for a party with half of One Direction and I looked hot. Take that Tyler.

I dug through my vanity and got out my mascara and eyeliner. That’s the most make-up I could ever tolerate. I finished up and ran a hand through my hair. Up or down? After trying a few styles, I decided down was for the best.

I glanced over myself one more time. This time as my eyes ran down my outfit, I noticed that you could see the deep bruise that spread down my side. I bit my lip as my face reddened. I tied the flannel up to try to hide the bruise as I heard a knock on my door.

I turned back to my room and pulled it open. Louis was leaned against the door frame with a small smile on his face. I felt my breathing stop for a second as I took in his appearance.

He looked  _ so  _ good. His hair was pushed up out of his face in messy spikes. A loose blue v-neck shirt hung off of his body, barely tucked into the front of his black, skinny jeans. They cuffed at the bottom, right above his white sneakers. Some sort of chain necklace laid under his shirt and silver rings decorated his fingers. The blue made his irises pop even more, and I felt like I could pass out just making eye contact with him.

As I looked back up at him, ready to be embarrassed for so obviously checking him out, I realized he was doing the same thing. His jaw had dropped a little, and his eyes were scanning slowly up and down my body. I felt a blush spread through my cheeks as he reached forward and tugged the knot of my flannel undone.

“Don’t tie it. Looks better loose,” he spoke softly as he fixed my shirt. I pulled my hand up to hide the ugly bruise on my side, but he pushed it off. “Leave it. It gives you a little danger- it’s hot.”

I smiled shyly at the compliment. “Damn, I picked a good fucking outfit. You’re welcome,” he winked and gave me a cocky smile before motioning for me to follow him. I rolled my eyes and followed. Of course he’d find a way to make it about himself.

He led me to the couch where I found my Nikes tucked under from earlier. I pulled them on, tying up the laces as someone started banging on the door.

“Opennn!” I heard Niall yell from the other side of the door, and I immediately got intense butterflies at the idea of meeting the two boys. At least I’d been drunk when I met Louis. Sure I completely embarrassed myself, but at least I don’t remember it at all.

Louis jogged over to the door, pulling on the handle and ripping it open. Niall and Liam came barreling in in a blur and tackled him to the ground. There were yells and random words and bangs coming from the pile of boys before they finally rolled off of each other.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the image in front of me. It seemed like something I could’ve seen on one of their video diaries. At the sound of my giggle, they turned and looked at me.

Niall and Liam’s jaws dropped as they looked from me to Louis and then back to me. Niall was the first to react, scrambling to his feet and stepping over to me.

“Hi love! I’m Niall!” He smiled at me cheerfully with a wink, reaching a hand out to shake. I squeaked out something along the lines of hi before diving in to push past his hand and hug him. He let out a surprised breath before hugging me back, just as tightly as I was squeezing him.

Louis laughed from behind us. “She’s kind of a super fan,” he explained my embarrassing behavior.

I stepped back with red cheeks. “I’m sorry. I just- I’ve always dreamed of meeting you,” I apologize with a small smile. Niall beamed down at me.

“Don’t worry about it, love. I’ll always take hugs from pretty girls,” he winked at me with a sly smile.

Liam stepped around him with an offended look on his face.

“Dreamed of meeting him? What about me? Where’s my hug?” He faked a pouty face and opened his arms for me to walk into them. I laughed at his comment and hugged him back.

“Dreamed of meeting all of you,” I tried to explain myself.

“So, do you have a name?” Liam asked with a chuckle as we pulled away. They flopped onto the couch behind us, and Niall shifted over to give me space next to him. I slid into the space as Louis laid out on the couch adjacent to us.

“Ellis,” I tell them, embarrassed that I skipped that important step of the introduction process.

“Nice to meet you Ellis. And how, may I ask, did you end up with this one?” Niall smirked as he jabbed his finger at Louis.

“Hey, hey, hey. You better watch your mouth. I’m her favorite member of the band,” Louis smiled smugly.

Niall and Liam turned to me with shocked faces.

“What!!” Niall shouted in offense.

“Louis??” Liam rolled his eyes at my nod.

“Sorry boys, but it’s always been Louis,” I said through laughs at their angry expressions. The conversation somehow ended in Liam and Niall attacking Louis with pillows before finally collapsing back on the couches.

Louis took that time to fill them in on everything that happened to explain why I was staying here with him. Between some outraged cursing at Tyler’s cheating, and some begging for an encore performance of coacoac, time quickly flew by. Before I knew it, the boys were leading me into the den to finish setting up for the party.

The den looked like a club. What once was a cozy hangout had been transformed with LEDs, speakers, a full extended bar, and a dance floor. The lights carried into the kitchen and living room, but I guess I had been too distracted with the boys to notice.

“Wow, okay,” I raised my eyebrows, impressed. Louis smirked back at me.

“Oh, just wait,” he laughed. The boys joined in- clearly I was missing something.

“Louis’ parties are legendary, ever since the band days,” Liam explained at my puzzled expression.

“Yeah, every time we’re all in the same city, he throws a banger like this one,” Niall added.

“Tommo’s gotta banger?” I couldn’t help but crack up at the reference, and they turned to me with confused smiles.

“Oh my God you are such a fangirl,” Louis couldn’t help but laugh with me as he remembered the interview that was from. I shrugged with a laugh, he wasn’t wrong.

I still was completely shocked. I was really standing in Louis Tomlinson’s apartment next to Niall and Liam. I had to shake myself back to reality because if I thought too hard about this, I was going to pass out.

Niall nudged my shoulder and gave me a weird look, obviously noticing my zoned out expression. I gave him a small smile as he threw an arm around me. The rest of the evening flew by. The boys fell back into joking and laughing like they were back in the band, and we tore through some pizzas, waiting for evening to fade into night.

At some point, I wandered back to my room to check my make-up and take a breather. It was just so overwhelming being around them. It’s nothing they were doing wrong, in fact it was how comfortable they seemed around me. They were treating me like I was just one of their friends, and it was making my head spin from excitement.

I slid down onto my bed and finally let out the fangirl squeals that I’d been swallowing down all day. This was beyond a dream come true.

I had no idea how long I’d been sprawled on my bed, zoned out, before I heard knocking on the door.

“Open up babe!” Niall yelled from the other side. I froze. Babe? Okay, a part of me just died. I jumped to my feet and pulled the door open. As soon as I did, I was hit with a wave of music. Deep bass shook me to my core, and my eyes widened.

“The bedrooms are soundproof,” Niall explained at my slacked jaw, speaking up over the music.

I must’ve been in my room for a while because the party was definitely picking up at this point. The only lights on were electric blue LEDs and people were dancing and grinding up and down the hallway. They weren’t kidding- this was a banger.

“You ready?” Niall asked, shamelessly dragging his eyes up and down my body. I blushed and let out a deep breath. Now or never right? I reached up and took his outstretched hand, lacing my fingers through his as he pulled me out of my room and deeper into the party.


End file.
